Cavaliers reach 3-year deal with Pavlovic

The Cavaliers reached an agreement Tuesday with guard-forward Sasha Pavlovic — one of their two restricted free agents to miss training camp in contract disputes.

Chris Beaven

One down. One to go.

The Cavaliers reached an agreement Tuesday with guard-forward Sasha Pavlovic — one of their two restricted free agents to miss training camp in contract disputes.

Pavlovic agreed to a three-year deal, according to Natasha Cornstein, director of media and player relations for Pinnacle Hoops, which represents the player.

“Sasha is very excited to be rejoining his teammates and is looking forward to building on the success of last year and getting back to work,” Cornstein said.

The Cavs open the season tonight at home against Dallas. They went 1-6 in the preseason. The absence of Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao, the other unsigned restricted free agent, was a constant source of discussion.

The 6-foot-7, 239-pound Pavlovic emerged as a key contributor for the Cavs during last year’s run to the NBA Finals. He started all 20 playoff games, averaging 9.2 points per game and shooting 34.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

During the regular season, the Cavs went 20-8 with him in the starting lineup. He averaged 12.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, shooting 47.7 percent from the floor as a starter.

Overall, he scored 9.0 points per game during 67 games in the regular season, shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range.

“He loves Cleveland, loves the team and was thrilled to be a part of the championship run last year,” Cornstein said.

Pavlovic is entering his fourth season in Cleveland and his fifth season in the NBA. He has been in his native Montenegro and could arrive in Cleveland as early as today.

“He’s in excellent shape,” Cornstein said. “He’s been working out twice a day with a professional trainer.”

Once Pavlovic returns, he immediately gives a needed offensive boost to the team.

The Cavs, though, still could use some help inside. They were considering Juwan Howard, but that appears to no longer be an option. The Dallas Morning News reports that the Mavericks are hopeful of signing the 6-10 Howard soon.